Home Run!

These past few days have been interesting to say the least...I was away at a staff retreat at a private ranch about 3 hours north of Houston and had made arrangements so Jeff can get all his finals and experiments done but still be available for the kids since I would be out all week.

The retreat was amazing as usual - my Apartment Life family is incredible, it's hard to explain the amount of love you feel when we're together in fellowship and prayer. Our second day started out with a devotion time and some quiet time, then we were instructed to change into clothes that we wouldn't mind getting dirty (hmmm...wonder why?). It had been raining off and on, so we knew things could get messy. We were all separated into teams with 6 in each group. We were instructed to designate a team captain, so we assigned Mike, an AD from Atlanta as our leader. We were the "red" team and chose the name "Hell, Fire and Brimstone" or HFB for short. The game was "the Amazing Race", modeled after the tv show. I don't think I've ever watched the show, but we were given very specific instructions on how to complete the 12 challenges. The 12th challenge was wiffle ball, where 2 players played, instructed to hit a home run and slide into home. I pitched for Mike, then it was my turn... I hit a "home run" on my first try and started running around the bases. It was fun, everyone was cheering me on, then came the sliding into home base part... wasn't sure how to do it since I don't usually play baseball or are very athletic... as soon as my left foot hit the ground everyone heard a loud "snap" and we knew something was wrong. I tried lifting my leg, but my foot flopped over, so we knew I was in trouble. One group on a golf cart immediately headed to the house (1/2 a mile away) to call an ambulance and my team stayed behind to pray for me. It hurt, but it wasn't unbearable. As we were waiting, I told the team that I wanted to finish since we were so close. In order to finish, we all as a team needed to go back thru the front door of the house. So Mike picked me up and carried me to the golf cart, and carried me into the house and onto the couch until the ambulance arrived. Everyone was so concerned and tried to help as much a possible. Richard had some others lay hands on me and pray for healing - I had such a sense of peace during this time. The ambulance came and took me to the East Texas Medical Center in Athens, TX. The ER was pretty busy, but they gave me good care. Wes & Tammi stayed with me until I got settled into my own room, and they made sure I wasn't alone while in the hospital. I was given the option of being transported to Houston so I would be close to my family and have surgery here, but it didn't make sense since I could probaly get it taken care of quicker in Athens. Plus, my mom-in-law was planning to come to visit anyway that weekend, so we arranged it so she could pick me up and bring me home so Jeff would not have to come up to Athens.

The x-rays confirmed that this was a bad break that would require surgery. I had displaced Trimalleolar Fractures and would have surgery first thing the next morning (Thursday). The surgery went well, and was told that I could be discharged once PT assessed me and okay'd me to go. After some pretty painful dressing changes and practice steps, I was READY to come home. Praise God that I had NO PAIN on the drive home - Karen had me sitting in the back seat with my leg extended and propped up. My family was waiting for our arrival and have been so helpful and sweet.

I will know more when I find a doctor for follow up this week - I'm in a walking boot with an air cast and will require daily exercises to help the healing process. It's still awkward and we're working on the logistics of how I can comfortably get around with minimal help.

Oh yeah - the Red Team won! Now, my first reaction was, "yeah, right" and I thought they were just taking pity on me. But even though we were the 2nd to the last team to physically finish the game, we had the most points because we followed the instructions well. The prize for the winning team was a $25 gift card to each of the 6 players and a floating trophy for us to share. When the winning team was announced after the tallying of the points, each of my red team members handed their card back so I can have it. From what I understand, it was an emotional moment. Tina & Stan brought me the home plate with everyone's get well wishes on it. There's also a photo of me sliding into home from what I understand, so we can make a nice mounted display so I won't ever forget what happened, even though the steel plate and screws in my ankle will be enough to remember this forever.

I just wanted you all to know that I love you guys and couldn't ask for a better team to be a part of! And I mean the entire Apartment Life family when I say that! This year we all celebrated the 5th year in a row for winning the "Best Christian Workplace" in the Parachurch/Missions category. http://www.bcwinstitute.com/2008us.aspx Thank you for letting me part of your team!